Caring Connections
Lay Pastoral Associates Program
Through the Lay Pastoral Associates Program, we seek to provide more extended and intensive pastoral care than can be accomplished through the caring cards, calls, and emails sent by our Care Team, important as these are. With the guidance and direction of the Minister, Lay Pastoral Associates provide deep listening and reflection for congregants with chronic conditions, major life transitions, or reaching end-of-life. As a Team, we reflect on the situations of those in our care, offer helpful suggestions and feedback to each other, and hold together the pain and suffering that we feel as we serve.
Like the Minister, Lay Pastoral Associates recognize the difference between deep listening and merely waiting to speak. They have the disposition to acknowledge sorrow and pain without jumping in to fix problems. they know how to hold back their own stories, fears, and anxieties when in the presence of those in care, to process them later and in the company of other Team members. The Lay Pastoral Associates do this work in our own humanly imperfect ways, learning and deepening as we go, asking advice, and going to the Minister for guidance and hope.
Currently, our Lay Pastoral Associates are Nancy Cramblit and Diane Dobitz. Let us now acknowledge and welcome their deep and commitment service to our congregation. If you would like to know how to become a Lay Pastoral Associate or if you would like to enter a caring relationship with an Associate, please contact Rev. Rita, Nancy Cramblit, or Diane Dobitz. You can read more about the work of the time by clicking below.